HABITS (good and bad)

[Hal]

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The Handbook of Bible Application
Neil S. Wilson, Editor




BAD HABITS

How can bad habits be avoided or eliminated?

BIBLE READING: Numbers 33:50-56
KEY BIBLE VERSE: But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them. (Numbers 33:55-56 , niv)

Bad habits must be replaced by good ones.

God told Moses that before the Israelites settled in the promised land, they should drive out the wicked inhabitants and destroy their idols. In Colossians 3 , Paul encourages us to live as Christians in the same manner: throwing away our old way of living and moving ahead into our new life of obedience to God and faith in Jesus Christ. Like the Israelites moving into the promised land, we can destroy the wickedness in our life, or we can settle down and live with it. To move in and possess the new life, we must drive out the sinful thoughts and practices to make room for the new.
BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 12:1-32
KEY BIBLE VERSE: You must destroy all the heathen altars wherever you find them—high in the mountains, up in the hills, or under the trees. Break the altars, smash the obelisks, burn the shameful images, cut down the metal idols, and leave nothing even to remind you of them! (Deuteronomy 12:2-3 , tlb)

Bad habits deserve no mercy.

When taking over a nation, the Israelites were supposed to destroy every pagan altar and idol in the land. God knew it would be easy for them to change their beliefs if they started using those altars, so nothing was to remain that might tempt them to worship idols. We too should ruthlessly find and remove any centers of false worship in our life. These may be activities, attitudes, possessions, relationships, places, or habits—anything that tempts us to turn our hearts from God and do wrong. We should never flatter ourselves by thinking we’re too strong to be tempted. Israel learned that lesson.
BIBLE READING: 1 John 3:1-24
KEY BIBLE VERSE: The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again. (1 John 3:9 , tlb)

HABITS
Depend on God’s power to combat bad habits.

 We all have areas where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. These weaknesses give the devil a foothold, so we must deal with our areas of vulnerability. If we are struggling with a particular sin, however, these verses are not directed at us, even if for the time we seem to keep on sinning. John is not talking about people whose victories are still incomplete; he is talking about people who make a practice of sinning and look for ways to justify it.
Bad habits must be changed with determination and God’s help. Three steps are necessary to find victory over prevailing sin: (1) seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word; (2) stay away from tempting situations; and (3) seek the help of the body of Christ—be open to their willingness to hold you accountable and to pray for you.

GOOD HABITS

What good habits should we start and maintain?

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 14:22-29
KEY BIBLE VERSE: You must tithe all of your crops every year. (Deuteronomy 14:22 , tlb)

Tithing is an excellent habit to develop.
The Bible makes the purpose of tithing very clear—to put God first in our life. We are to give God the first and best of what we earn. For example, what we do first with our money shows what we value most. Giving the first part of our paycheck to God immediately focuses our attention on him. It also reminds us that all we have belongs to him. A habit of regular tithing can keep God at the top of our priority list and give us a proper perspective on everything else we have.
BIBLE READING: Luke 4:14-30
KEY BIBLE VERSE: He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. (Luke 4:16 , niv)

Jesus modeled a habit of worship we should imitate.

Jesus went to the synagogue “as was his custom.” Even though he was the perfect Son of God, and his local synagogue undoubtedly left much to be desired, Jesus attended services every week. His example makes our excuses for not attending church sound weak and self-serving. Make regular worship a part of your life.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 6:5-15
KEY BIBLE VERSE: And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. (Matthew 6:5 , niv)

Jesus modeled the habit of prayer for us.
Some people, especially the religious leaders, wanted to be seen as “holy,” and public prayer was one way to get attention. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts, however, and taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communication with God. There is a place for public prayer, but to pray only where others will notice you indicates that your real audience is not God.